Julie Pomagalski (10 October 1980 – 23 March 2021) was a French

snowboarder Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympic ...

. She was born in

La Tronche La Tronche () is a commune in the Isère department, southeastern France. It is part of the Grenoble urban unit (agglomeration). and was the granddaughter of , founder of the

Poma Poma, incorporated as Pomagalski S.A., and sometimes referred to as the Poma Group, is a French company which manufactures cable-driven lift systems, including fixed and detachable chairlifts, gondola lifts, funiculars, aerial tramways, peop ...

ski lift manufacturing company. She competed at the

2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 ( arp, Niico'ooowu' 2002; Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; nv, Sooléí 2002; Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), was an internation ...

and the

2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially the XX Olympic Winter Games ( it, XX Giochi olimpici invernali) and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February 2006 in Turin, Italy. This marked the second ...

, where she placed sixth in both

parallel giant slalom Giant slalom (GS) is an alpine skiing and alpine snowboarding discipline. It involves skiing between sets of poles ("gates") spaced at a greater distance from each other than in slalom but less than in Super-G. Giant slalom and slalom make up the ...

events. She won a gold medal in snowboard cross at the FIS Snowboarding World Championships 1999, and a silver medal in parallel giant slalom at the FIS Snowboarding World Championships 2003. Subsequent to her competitive career, Pomagalski operated a ski school and a sports shop in

Méribel Méribel () is a ski resort in the Tarentaise Valley in the French Alps. Méribel refers to three neighbouring villages in the Les Allues commune of the Savoie department of France, near the town of Moûtiers (), called Méribel Centre, Méribel ...

. Pomagalski died in an

avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and eart ...

in Switzerland on 23 March 2021, at age 40.

Early life

Pomagalski was born on 10 October 1980 in

La Tronche La Tronche () is a commune in the Isère department, southeastern France. It is part of the Grenoble urban unit (agglomeration).

Career

Beginnings in the World Cup

Pomagalski made her international debut in the 1997–98 FIS Snowboard World Cup season, where she placed 46th at an event in

Tignes Tignes () is a commune in the Tarentaise Valley, in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France, known for the highest skiable area and the longest ski season in Europe. It is located in the Savoie region with good t ...

. At the 1998

FIS Snowboarding Junior World Championships FIS Snowboarding Junior World Championships are the Junior World Championships in snowboarding organized by the International Ski Federation (FIS). Hosts Men's events Giant slalom Parallel giant slalom Parallel slalom Halfpipe Snowboard ...

Chamrousse Chamrousse () is a ski resort in southeastern France, in the Belledonne mountain range near Grenoble in the Isère department. It is located in a commune of the same name and is situated on the Recoin at and the Roche Béranger at . The ski- ...

, she won gold in the giant slalom competition. In the 1998 French Championships in Alpe d'Huez, Pomagalski won gold in the snowboard cross and bronze in the giant slalom.

World Championships

At the 1999 FIS Snowboarding World Championships in Berchtesgaden, she won gold in the snowboard cross competition. At a World Cup event in

Grächen Grächen is a municipality in the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. The village is situated at an altitude of on a terrace above St. Niklaus in the Mattertal, north of the Mischabel range (and Dom). History Settlements i ...

, she missed her first podium narrowly, placing 4th. At the 1999 Junior World Championships in Seiser Alm, she finished sixth in the parallel giant slalom. Shortly after the beginning of the 1999–2000 World Cup season, Pomagalski achieved her first World Cup podium, placing second in a snowboard cross event in

Zell am See Zell am See is the administrative capital of the Zell am See District in the Austrian state of Salzburg. Located in the Kitzbühel Alps, the town is an important tourist destination due to its ski resorts and shoreline on Lake Zell. While Zell a ...

. At the 2000 Junior World Championships in Berchtesgaden, she earned gold in the parallel giant slalom and bronze in the parallel slalom. At the end of February, Pomagalski earned fourth place in a giant slalom event at the Shiga Highlands. She then finished fourth in a snowboard cross competition in

Park City, Utah Park City is a city in Utah, United States. The vast majority is in Summit County, and it extends into Wasatch County. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is southeast of downtown Salt Lake City and from Salt Lake Cit ...

, and then second in the giant slalom competition there two days later. She ended up not being able to achieve a podium placement for the rest of that season. Pomagalski began her 2000–01 World Cup season in January 2001 and quickly rose through the ranks to gain second place in

Morzine Morzine (; frp, Morzena) is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of south-eastern France. A traditional market town in the heart of the Portes du Soleil, Morzine is dominated by chalets spread across a riv ...

. At the 2001 World Championships in

Madonna di Campiglio Madonna di Campiglio (german: Sankt Maria im Pein) is a village and a ski resort in northeast Italy. It is a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' of Pinzolo. The village lies in the Val Rendena at an elevation of above sea level, and has approximat ...

, however, she was unable to match her previous performances back in Berchtesgaden and did not gain any medals in the three disciplines in which she completed.

World Cup discipline victories and Olympic appearance

On , Pomagalski achieved her first World Cup discipline victory in the parallel giant slalom in

Asahikawa is a city in Kamikawa Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital of the subprefecture, and the second-largest city in Hokkaido, after Sapporo. It has been a core city since April 1, 2000. The city is currently well known for the Asahiy ...

, Japan. Despite this victory, however, it was only able to get Pomagalski up to 21st place in the overall World Cup ranking. In the 2001–02 season, she started off with a fourth place showing in the parallel giant slalom at

Valle Nevado Valle Nevado (''Snowy Valley'' in the Spanish language) is a ski resort located on the El Plomo foothills in the Andes Mountains, at 46 km to the east of Santiago, the capital of Chile. Founded in 1988 by French entrepreneurs, it includes ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

. By December, she was back on the podium, winning second place in

Whistler, British Columbia Whistler ( Lillooet/Ucwalmícwts: Cwitima, ; Squamish/Sḵwx̱wú7mesh: Sḵwiḵw, ) is a resort municipality in Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, British Columbia, Canada. It is located in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Moun ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, and then her second victory, on

Mont-Sainte-Anne Mont-Sainte-Anne is a ski resort in Eastern Canada, eastern Canada, located in the town of Beaupré, Quebec, about northeast of Quebec City. The mountain is part of the Laurentian Mountains, Laurentian mountain chain and has a summit elevation o ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

. This was then followed up by yet another victory, this time in

Valloire Valloire (; frp, Valouère, ) is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France. The ski resort Valloire-Galibier is located in the commune, at the foot of the Col du Télégraphe and next to ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. In January 2002, she placed 2nd in the parallel giant slalom event in

Kreischberg Kreischberg is an Austrian ski resort in Styria, Austria. The area includes the adjacent Rosenkranzhöhe and offers 40 kilometres of slopes altogether. In December 2013, Kreischberg was considered the first 10-seater gondola in Styria. In recent ye ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, and then went on to take part in the

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, where she reached sixth placed in the parallel giant slalom event. Afterwards, she earned two silver medals for the snowboarding events at

Rukatunturi Rukatunturi ( fi, Ruka) is a high fell and a ski resort in Kuusamo, Finland. Apart from downhill skiing, there are over 500 km of cross-country skiing tracks. Also snowmobiles can be rented to enjoy some of the area's 600 km of snow ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

and Tandadalen in

Sälen Sälen () is a locality situated in Malung-Sälen Municipality, Dalarna County, Sweden with 652 inhabitants in 2010. Despite its small population, Sälen receives many tourists every winter. Sälen is best known for hosting the start of Vasaloppet ...

, Sweden, eventually resulting in her 4th-place ranking in that year's World Cup overall. At the 2003 World Championships in Kreischberg, Pomagalski placed 2nd in the parallel giant slalom and 10th in the parallel slalom. Shortly afterwards, she won two preparatory competitions for the 2003

Winter Universiade The Universiade is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The name is a portmanteau of the words "University" and "Olympiad". The Universiade is referred t ...

. On 25 January 2003, she placed second in the snowboard cross at Berchtesgaden. In February of that year, she won another World Cup event in the parallel giant slalom at Maribor,

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

. She placed 6th overall after further podium places.

Overall victory at the World Cup and later retirement

Pomagalski had consistently placed in the top 10 for most of the 2003–04 World Cup season, placing first at events in Alpe d'Huez,

Le Grand-Bornand Le Grand-Bornand (; frp, Bornan) is a commune in the eastern French department of Haute-Savoie. The commune is a ski resort and takes its name from the river that runs through it. The inhabitants of Le Grand-Bornand are called Bornandins. Geo ...

Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous cit ...

, and

Bardonecchia Bardonecchia (; french: Bardonèche or ; pms, Bardonecia ; oc, Bardonescha ) is an Italian town and ''comune'' located in the Metropolitan City of Turin, in the Piedmont region, in the western part of Susa Valley. It grew out of a small village ...

. For the first time ever, Pomagalski had earned an overall victory in the World Cup, and also earned second place in the snowboard cross discipline and third place in the parallel ranking as well. In the 2004–05 season, however, she wasn't able to reproduce her successes and never won a competition for the entire season. She placed eighth in the snowboard cross, ninth in the parallel giant slalom, and fifth in the parallel slalom events at the 2005 World Snowboard Championships, this time in Whistler, Canada. In the 2005–06 World Cup season, Pomagalski was able to win an event again, this time a parallel slalom competition in

Landgraaf Landgraaf (; li, Lankgraaf ) is a municipality in southeastern Limburg, Netherlands, forming part of the Parkstad Limburg agglomeration. ''Snow World'' is the largest indoor ski piste in Europe. Population centres * Nieuwenhagen * Schaesberg ...

, located in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. She then won a snowboard cross event in Whistler. Afterwards, she competed at the

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, where she placed 23rd in the snowboard cross and 6th in the parallel giant slalom. She won another World Cup event in

Lake Placid, New York Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,303. The village of Lake Placid is near the center of the town of North Elba, southwest of Plattsburg ...

and finished the season with a 2nd-place ranking. At France's 2006 National Championships in

Isola 2000 Isola 2000 is a ski resort in the southern French Alps. It is located on the territory of the commune of Isola, Alpes-Maritimes. It is one of the ''Stations du Mercantour'', along with Auron and St. Dalmas, and is operated by the council of the ...

, she won the parallel giant slalom title. During the 2006–07 World Cup season, she placed third in the parallel slalom at an event at

Bad Gastein Bad Gastein (; formerly ''Badgastein''; Southern Bavarian: ''Bod Goschdei'') is a spa town in the district of St. Johann im Pongau, in the Austrian state of Salzburg. Picturesquely situated in a high valley of the Hohe Tauern mountain range, it ...

. At the 2007 World Snowboard Championships in

Arosa , neighboring_municipalities= Alvaneu, Davos, Langwies, Lantsch/Lenz, Molinis, Peist, Schmitten, Tschiertschen, Vaz/Obervaz, Wiesen , twintowns = Fukumitsu (Japan) Arosa is a town and a municipality in the Plessur Region in the canton o ...

, she placed sixth in the snowboard cross, eighth in the parallel giant slalom, and 21st in the parallel slalom. After she could not achieve consistently good performances for the rest of the season and falling back down to 20th overall, she retired in 2007.

Outside of sport

Pomagalski was the granddaughter of Jean Pomagalski, the founder of the cable car manufacturer

and designer of one of the first modern ski lifts. After studying at the Emlyon Business School from 2003 to 2007 during her sporting career, Pomagalski graduated with a

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast t ...

degree, and in 2012, after her retirement, she worked in marketing and press at the

tourist office, and later at MDP Consulting, a company that focuses on the development of tourist regions. She ran the Prosneige ski school and shop, based in Méribel. Pomagalski was a member of the

steering committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

of the and was a member of the .

Death

On 23 March 2021, she was freeriding with

mountain guide A mountain guide is a specially trained and experienced professional mountaineer who is certified by local authorities or mountain guide associations. They are considered to be high-level experts in mountaineering, and are hired to instruct or ...

Bruno Putelli and two other freeriders on Mt. Gemsstock in Switzerland when three of the four were hit by an avalanche caused by a slab of snow. Pomagalski and Putelli were both buried under the snow and died before emergency services could reach them. The

French National Olympic and Sports Committee The French National Olympic and Sports Committee (french: Comité national olympique et sportif français, CNOSF) is the National Olympic Committee of France. It is responsible for France's participation in the Olympic Games, as well as for all ...

stated on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

that her death had "left the French Olympic team in mourning for one of their own".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pomagalski, Julie 1980 births Sportspeople from La Tronche Université Savoie Mont Blanc alumni Emlyon Business School alumni French female snowboarders Olympic snowboarders for France Snowboarders at the 2002 Winter Olympics Snowboarders at the 2006 Winter Olympics FISU World University Games gold medalists for France Universiade medalists in snowboarding Competitors at the 2003 Winter Universiade 2021 deaths Deaths in avalanches Accidental deaths in Switzerland Skiing deaths